Fathi Hamad
Encyclopedia
Fathi Hamad is a political leader of Hamas
. In April 2009, he was appointed the new Interior Minister
in replacement of Said Seyam
who was assassinated by Israel
in the 2009 Gaza War. Hamad became a Hamas affiliated member of the Palestinian Legislative Council
in 2006, representing his home town of Beit Lahia
in northern Gaza. He also leads the Hamas Public Affairs Department and is the director of Al-Aqsa TV
, the Hamas-run television station.
In November 2009, Waad, a Gaza charity
headed by Hamad, offered a $1.4 million bounty to any Arab citizen of Israel
who abducts
an Israel
i soldier. While Palestinian militant groups have frequently called on Arab-Israelis to kidnap soldiers, this marked the first time money had been offered.
Despite Hamad's hostility toward Israel, his ill three-year old daughter was sent to Jordan
for medical treatment through the Israeli-controlled Erez crossing
. For initial medical treatment, she was first sent to Barzilai Hospital in the southern Israeli city of Ashkelon
. Her subsequent transfer to Jordan was authorized by Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak
and the IDF Chief of General Staff Gabi Ashkenazi
.
A speech made by Hamad broadcast on Al Aqsa TV in February 2008 (see video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RTu-AUE9ycs) has been used as evidence by Israel and others that Hamas and other Palestinian militant groups make use of human shields. In the speech, Hamad states:
In an interview which aired on Al-Aqsa TV on December 14, 2010 (as translated by MEMRI), Hamad stated that Hamas receives support because:
Hamas
Hamas is the Palestinian Sunni Islamic or Islamist political party that governs the Gaza Strip. Hamas also has a military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades...
. In April 2009, he was appointed the new Interior Minister
Interior Minister of the Palestinian National Authority
The Interior Ministry of the Palestinian National Authority is the branch of the Palestinian National Authority cabinet in charge of the security and statistics of the Palestinian people. The Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics is a sub-branch of the Interior Ministry that has the...
in replacement of Said Seyam
Said Seyam
Said Seyam was the Interior Minister of the Palestinian government of March 2006. He joined Hamas, and became one of its top commanders. During the Gaza War, Seyam was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Jabalia.-Personal life:...
who was assassinated by Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
in the 2009 Gaza War. Hamad became a Hamas affiliated member of the Palestinian Legislative Council
Palestinian Legislative Council
The Palestinian Legislative Council, the legislature of the Palestinian Authority, is a unicameral body with 132 members, elected from 16 electoral districts in the West Bank and Gaza...
in 2006, representing his home town of Beit Lahia
Beit Lahia
Beit Lahia is a city located north of Jabalia, near Beit Hanoun and the 1949 Armistice Line with Israel. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, the city had a population of 59,540 in mid-year 2006. Hamas, an Islamist party, took control of it during the 2005 municipal...
in northern Gaza. He also leads the Hamas Public Affairs Department and is the director of Al-Aqsa TV
Al-Aqsa TV
Al-Aqsa TV is the official Hamas-run television channel. Its programming includes news talk, children's shows , and religiously inspired entertainment...
, the Hamas-run television station.
In November 2009, Waad, a Gaza charity
Charitable organization
A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization . It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization (NPO). It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A...
headed by Hamad, offered a $1.4 million bounty to any Arab citizen of Israel
Arab citizens of Israel
Arab citizens of Israel refers to citizens of Israel who are not Jewish, and whose cultural and linguistic heritage or ethnic identity is Arab....
who abducts
Kidnapping
In criminal law, kidnapping is the taking away or transportation of a person against that person's will, usually to hold the person in false imprisonment, a confinement without legal authority...
an Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i soldier. While Palestinian militant groups have frequently called on Arab-Israelis to kidnap soldiers, this marked the first time money had been offered.
Despite Hamad's hostility toward Israel, his ill three-year old daughter was sent to Jordan
Jordan
Jordan , officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan , Al-Mamlaka al-Urduniyya al-Hashemiyya) is a kingdom on the East Bank of the River Jordan. The country borders Saudi Arabia to the east and south-east, Iraq to the north-east, Syria to the north and the West Bank and Israel to the west, sharing...
for medical treatment through the Israeli-controlled Erez crossing
Erez Crossing
The Erez Crossing is a pedestrian/cargo terminal on the Israeli Gaza Strip barrier. It is located in the northern end of the Gaza Strip, on the border with Israel.It is part of a complex formerly including the Erez Industrial Park....
. For initial medical treatment, she was first sent to Barzilai Hospital in the southern Israeli city of Ashkelon
Ashkelon
Ashkelon is a coastal city in the South District of Israel on the Mediterranean coast, south of Tel Aviv, and north of the border with the Gaza Strip. The ancient seaport of Ashkelon dates back to the Neolithic Age...
. Her subsequent transfer to Jordan was authorized by Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak
Ehud Barak
Ehud Barak is an Israeli politician who served as Prime Minister from 1999 until 2001. He was leader of the Labor Party until January 2011 and holds the posts of Minister of Defense and Deputy Prime Minister in Binyamin Netanyahu's government....
and the IDF Chief of General Staff Gabi Ashkenazi
Gabi Ashkenazi
Gavriel "Gabi" Ashkenazi , was the Chief of General Staff of the Israel Defence Forces from 2007 to 2011.- Background and early life :...
.
A speech made by Hamad broadcast on Al Aqsa TV in February 2008 (see video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RTu-AUE9ycs) has been used as evidence by Israel and others that Hamas and other Palestinian militant groups make use of human shields. In the speech, Hamad states:
In an interview which aired on Al-Aqsa TV on December 14, 2010 (as translated by MEMRI), Hamad stated that Hamas receives support because:
The Jews have become abhorred and loathed outcasts, because they live off corruption and the plundering of the peoples – not only the Arab and Islamic peoples, but all the peoples of the world. The world has begun to be aware of this corrupting danger, and to applaud Hamas. The entire world says: "Bravo, Hamas, for confronting these people of corruption"...Hamas will receive its means of survival, its arms, and its supporters from where it is least expected, because the hatred for the Jews is on the rise, and people who hate the Jews find no [other] way to fulfill their hatred of the Jews and of the Americans – the Americans too have become abhorred throughout the world, because of their corruption, for they are led by the Jews.